By OD
(What’s next on Baccano!)
Oh my it’s been awhile hasn’t it? Well listen really close guys and gals, I’m here to spin you a sad story, but that would be asinine to say “story”, since “Baccano!” is a plethora of stories all combined into one (I’ll tell you more about that later). Baccano! Is based off the light novel created by Ryohgo Narita in 2002, the anime first appeared in 2007 and consist of 13 episodes (However, 3 extra episodes were included in the DVD of the anime) . Now I’m sure most of you are pondering on what this anime is all about and why it is so great, well pay close attention my humble readers!
The story of Baccano! begins in 1711, where a group of alchemists seeking eternal life gathered on a boat to summon the “demon” that held the secret. The demon agreed to give them what they wanted—an elixir of life, the method to create more, and the secret to ending their new-found existence. The following night, alchemists began disappearing, “eaten” by one of their own. Realizing the threat posed by being close together, they decided to scatter across the world. Centuries later, in America the immortals have come together once again, and the “stupid commotion” starts.
“Baccano!” takes place in the 1930’s, using the “Mobster” setting. The anime has several stories involved within it, that all unfold within each episode, and carry on to the next. Each of the stories in the anime involves several unrelated plots intersecting and crossing each other as events spiral further and further out of control. Using a Pulp Fiction style of story telling, Baccano! gives the impression of a movie title instead. And since Baccano! uses the Pulp Fiction formula you’ll be having to connect the dots after each story is presented to you. And while it’s not bad, it just means you’ll have to pay attention and do a lot of backtracking through your head.
Surely your emotions while watching this anime, will keep you on your toes, since they will be everywhere. And what I’m trying to say is, Baccano! has a very colorful cast of characters that can make you laugh and cry as well as freak you out or cause suspense. The cast consist of 18 characters, 2 of my favorites being Issac Dian and Maria Harvent, who are 2 not so bright but clever bandits who commit petty crimes such as stealing candy bars or breaking into a watch shop to “steal time”. Some other great characters included are Ladd Russo, who is a sadistic mad man who loves to kill and uses it as a pleasure, or the crybaby gang leader know as Jacuzzi Splot.
Any who, all the characters have their own unique personality and give off a great ordeal of style on the screen. One moment you’ll be smiling and chuckling at Issac and Maria’s cute, whimsical, and oblivious dialogue, then your jaw is dropped when you find some guy’s face getting grinded onto the tracks of a moving train. I forgot to mention that Baccano! is not for the squeamish, mostly because Baccano! is based all around life and brutal death. So you’re gonna see some things that will make you squirm or say “OH SHIT!” while watching. And since there is a lot of blood and gore there must be some good voice acting to make that pain sound like it actually hurts right? Right it is, but Baccano! has very gifted voice actors who do an excellent job with their characters. Ladd Russo’s voice actor (Bryan Massey) makes Russo come to life and will leave you speechless at how well he pulls off this character. The other voice actors do a great job and the dub of this anime is something you should take into consideration when watching. To be honest I prefer the dub over the original Japanese voice actors with subtitles.
Baccano!’s art isn’t flashy or suppose to impress you. After all it already has a great story to back it up. But the art is there for show and it doesn’t detract from the anime. The fight scenes on the other hand are fast paced and smooth, and while they are short they don’t fail to please. But probably the best art in the anime is the opening. Mixing color overlay’s, transitions, and introductions to each characters name with a smooth jazzy tune, just fits perfectly!
Gun’s & Roses is the song if any of you are interested. As I was saying, the opening of the anime gets you really hyped and excited for the next episode, and it’s always a nice watch. Not mention, if you are a fan of 1930’s music, there’s plenty of it to go around in Baccano!. The music is smooth and fits perfectly for each situation, and even some characters have their own theme music to go with them. However there is one song I just can’t seem to like, and it’s the ending theme of the anime, but I’m sure by then you are already skipping the ending and ready to watch the next episode. Other than that, Baccano! has got a nice soundtrack to keep the mood changing.
After watching Baccano! all I gotta say is that it’s a must see, if you are a fan of Pulp Fiction’s story telling. It’s got great characters, great voice actors, and as I said before, amazing story telling. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be scared, all those emotions are packed into one episode that just keeps getting better and better as you keep on watching.
Score
10/10
Well I’m off to SGC! I’ll update the site about all the news and everything else while on my journey!
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